IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v18y2025i8p2083-d1637113.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Next-Generation CSP: The Synergy of Nanofluids and Industry 4.0 for Sustainable Solar Energy Management

Author

Listed:
  • Mohamed Shameer Peer

    (Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy)

  • Tsega Y. Melesse

    (Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy)

  • Pier Francesco Orrù

    (Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy)

  • Mattia Braggio

    (Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy)

  • Mario Petrollese

    (Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy)

Abstract

The growing demand for efficient and sustainable energy solutions underscores the importance of advancing solar energy technologies, particularly Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems. This review presents a structured evaluation of two key innovation domains in CSP: the application of nanofluids and the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies. The first part analyzes experimental and simulation-based studies on nanofluid-enhanced CSP systems, covering four major collector types—parabolic trough, solar power tower, solar dish, and Fresnel reflectors. Nanofluids have been shown to significantly enhance thermal efficiency, with hybrid formulations offering the greatest improvements. The second part examines the role of Industry 4.0 technologies—including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and digital twins (DT)—in improving CSP system monitoring, performance prediction, and operational reliability. Although a few recent studies explore the combined use of nanofluids and Industry 4.0 tools in CSP systems, most research addresses these areas independently. This review identifies this lack of integration as a gap in the current literature. By presenting separate yet complementary analyses, the study offers a comprehensive overview of emerging pathways for CSP optimization. Key research challenges and future directions are highlighted, particularly in nanofluid stability, system cost-efficiency, and digital implementation at scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohamed Shameer Peer & Tsega Y. Melesse & Pier Francesco Orrù & Mattia Braggio & Mario Petrollese, 2025. "Next-Generation CSP: The Synergy of Nanofluids and Industry 4.0 for Sustainable Solar Energy Management," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-37, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:8:p:2083-:d:1637113
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/8/2083/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/8/2083/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:8:p:2083-:d:1637113. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.